Your telegram No. 121:,
Gordon.
We are asking Kinistry of Foreign Affairs by
Note for assistance in discovering whereabouts of family. We have
assumed that Gordon is a British subject, although to best of our
recollection he was not registered with us and made no contact with us
while in Peking.
2.
It may be possible to discover relevant information from other
foreigners working under similar contracts in Peking.
We no longer have any direct contact with this community, but will try
to pass word through diplomatic colleagues who do.
3.
Hong Kong will no doubt confirm that he has not crossed the border
Foreign Office pass Hong Kong 61.
Sir D. Hopson
[Repeated as requested]
FILES
Consular Dept.
LA1
ALF.
108
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110
REP.
P.a. Sen will
SSSSS
CONFIDENTIAL
CONFIDENTIAL
Sharland
Fitr.
8/5
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kt.
109
Dear David,
109
Office of the British
Charge d'Affaires,
PEKING.
12 February, 1968
¡ARCH9V-> No.5 :
2J FEB 1968
F23/21
Please refer to our telegram No. 102 or 3 February answering your
enquiry about the disappearance of Eric Gordon (I assume that you are
dealing with this; if not I should be grateful if you would pass this
letter on).
2. Ray Whitney had occasion a few days ago to speak with Hr. K.B.
Pradhan, a Nepáli who, I understand, is known to you and who lives in
the Friendship Hostel, where it turna out that Gordon also lived while
he was in Peking (this is consistent with the address given in your
telegram No. 121 Pradhan seemed convinced that Gordon had left Chine,
and that if Gordon had been arrested he would have heard of it.
5. He also said that when Gordon was in Peking he had been very much a
political activist. He was a leading sticker up of posters and Pradhan's
last recollection of him is of his putting up his last poster (named as
such). You will understand why, if we discover that he is in trouble, we
shall regard him as having brought it largely on himself. But we shall
of course continue to put out feelers to try and discover the
whereabouts of him and his family.
I am copying this letter to Emrys Davies in Hong Kong.
Yours ever
(A. J. Hunter)
D. C. Wilson, Esq.,
Far Easter Department.
CONFIDENTIAL
↓
J
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dDd.
F2312
$13
CONFIDENZIAL
124
FOREIGN OFFICE, S.W.1.
12 Karch, 1968.
Thank you for your letter PEK/5 of 12 February to David Wilson about the
disappearance of Eric Gordon. I have shown your letter to Consular
Department, who of course are also interested.
2. I realise that it is extremely difficult for you to obtain
information at the present time but should be grateful if you would let
me know if you manage to discover anything more positive about his
whereabouts or those of his family.
A.J. Hunter, Esq..
PEKING.
(E.J. Sharland)
CONFIDENTIAL
+
Re
RE 62%
T
F2-3/21.
а
a (12)
CONFIDENTI AL
TOP COPY
KECEIVED IN
CYPHER SAT A
PRTORITY FOREIGN OFFICE TO PEKING
TELNO 289 25 MARCH, 1968
CONFIDENTIAL
ARCHIVES No.
20 MAR
(F)
ADDRESSED TO PEKING TELEGRAM NO 289 OF 25 MARCH REPEATED FOR INFORMATION
TO HONG KONG
HUNTER'S LETTER PEK/5 OF 12 FEBRUARY TO WILSON: GORDON. GORDON'S FAMILY
ARE BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT GORDON HIS WIFE AND CHILD.
THEY HAVE RECEIVED NO NEWS FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, HIS BROTHER CONFIRMS THAT
HE WAS MAKING NOTES AND TAKING PHOTOGRAPHS TO WRITE A BOOK WHEN HE HAD
LEFT CHINA. THIS INCREASES THE CHANCES THAT HE HAS BEEN DETAINED.
2. UNLESS YOU SEE OBJECTIONS, PLEASE APPROACH THE CHINESE AUTHORITIES
AND ASK IF THEY HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF HIS WHEREABOUTS.
SOSFA
FILES
FAR EASTERN DEPT.
CONSULAR DEPT.
CONFIDENT AL
fe
9/
ALSO ZAZZLED FC 13/13/03:
ENTELED
NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS
Acorn House, 314/320 Gray's Inn Road, London WC ARCHIV-SN Telephone:
01-278 7916
RECEIVED IN
8-MAY 1968
r
L
nu
6
IJO/G
William Rodgers, Esq., MP,
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State,
Foreign Office,
Downing Street,
LONDON. S.T.L.
Dear Mr. Rodgers,
Fe1/42
25th April 1968
Rec. and Ack 26.4. 7. Domment
fo:
C
A rapideas@.
+213/13/70:
My Council was grateful for your letter of 11th April regarding efforts
to obtain access to Mr.Grey as a prelude to his release. It does indeed
seem from the news this week that your representations have had some
effect for we note that Sir Donald Hopson has been able to visit Mr.
Grey.
You will recall that when we discussed this matter with Mr. Brown and
yourself the possibility was raised of the Union making some direct
representations to try and speed his release. We agreed not to do
anything without consultation with the Foreign Office. Do you now think
that there is anything we could usefully do?
I am sorry to add to your problems, though I imagine you are also aware
of what I am now about to write. This concerns Mr. Eric Gordon, a member
of ours, who has been missing in China for nearly six months.
Kr. Gordon, who is a British subject (I think of Jewish origin), aged 36
or 37, went to China with his wife, Mrs. Marie Gordon, a British subject
of a Chanese father and English mother, and their son Kim Gordon, aged
12. According to our information the Tamily left Peking on 5th November
1967 for England and have not been heard of since. There is a rumour
that they are being "detained" while Mr. Gordon's very extensive notes
for a book which he intended writing on the Cultural Revolution in
China, are being exhaustively examined. Whether this is so or not I, of
course,
not I, of course, have no idea.
I would be grateful for anything the Foreign Office can do to locate the
whereabouts of the Gordon family. You will readily understand that the
disappearance of a member of ours must be a matter of concern.
Yours sincerely,
H. J. Bradley.
General Secretary.
General Secretary : H. J. Bradley Assistant General Secretary: T. D.
Lucy
f
Dear Sir,
AR
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F.E. Dept for draft uply
гору
from the Rodgers please
22, Westbourne Gardeles
#
D IN
ove
ve,.
5
Sussex, BN3.5PP
:... 31 26th April, 1968
8-MAI 108
FC 1/42
I should be obliged if you could please let me
me know whether
немец
any his wife,
you
have
of my brother, Eric Gordon, wife, Marie
Marie, and sou
Kim, aged eleven years, yet?
They have
three years, and were due to leave
been in Peking for
The last
received from them was
early in November, 1967.
letter
we
in October 1967.
Cargoe
get
but there is
Where
no
They intended to boat from Hong Kong,
record of
them
having crossed the border into Hong Kong
a
left by boat from Canton or Shaughan, but it is not likely as they
intended
leave vine Hong Kong,
possibility that they
ها
νι
and in
I in any
case they would have writter to us. They used to write regularly every
week, I they said they would write from trong Kong before getting on a
boat. As they have not written, something must be wrong, something must
have happened. They were not casual about letters; they liked writing
them, and they knew that mother would wo if she did not hear from them
worry
regularly; and they wrote regularly each week until the end of October,
1967.
We
are afraid that they must have been detained by the Chinese Government.
My other brother, feffrey Gordon, and in-laws, who live in London, have
been to the Chinese Embassy,
several times in the last two
the last two months but have been unable to obtain any satisfaction.
My brother, Jeffrey, also went
امه
ما
the Foreign Office
weeks
ago,
feu
and they cubled to the British Chargé D'Affairs Peking asking him to
contact the Chinese Foreign Ministry, to try to discover what had
happened to Eric, Marie, and Kim; but
was
a
So,
we
WO
reply received from the Chinese:
wonder if you have had reply from China recently. ? Thank-you very much
indeed.
PS. My brother was
O
Yours sincerely,
Linda, Gordon (Min)
E.
reporter in
England
in
and worked in a publishing office China. Do think that the Foreign
you
office could ask the Chinese Government
again,
about
my
brother and his family?
RECEIVED IN
AKCHIVES NA 3:
En Clair
F
1/42
4 May 1968
PEKING TO FOREIGN OFFICE
Telno 384
UNCLASSIFIED
4
James F
Addressed to Foreign Office telegram No. 384 af 4 May Repeated for
information to Hong Kong
Your telegram No. 421 May: Gordon] Paragraph 2.
Action taken.
Sir D. Hopson
DEPARTMENTAL DISTRIBUTION
F.O. F.E. Dept.
News Dept.
C.0. H.K. Dept.
Consular Dept.
FFFFF
Mr. Jamon
Mr. Myray
byen, beefedential
Reference...
£ LIVED IN AK....... IVES No.3.1 Ak
CHAY 68
FC/42
D. Mppearance of Gordon family
TO
Litt
at Flay, A and 'é
à craft tebgram to
ď alloch ä
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143
FM42
CONFIDENTIAL
CY: HER/CAT A
RIORITY
TELNO 426
FOREIGN OFFICE TU FERING
1 MAY 1968
CONFIDENTIAL
2
-
(FED)
Jupa 15
ADDRESSED TO PEKING TELNO 426 OF 1 MAY REPEATED FOR INFORMATION TO ENG
KINH.
YOUR QUARTERLY RETURN OF BRITISH SUBJECTS, PEK/5 OF 8 APRIL1
GORDON.
NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS AS WELL AS THE FAMILY ARE NOW INTERESTED
IN CASE.
2. PLEASE MAKE A FURTHER FORMAL REQUEST FOR INFORMATION,
DISI ArThe NTAL LISTRIBUTION
F.U.
F.D.D.
NEWS JAPT.
C.U.
H.K.D.
CONSULAR DSET.
CONFI LENTIAL
I
!
FED
Registry No.
F3/42.
Top Secret
Secret
Confidential
Restricted
Open
Draft.
EMERGENCYÊN IMMEDIATE
PRIORITY ROUTINE
with
-priority
*Date and time (G.M.T.) telegram should
·
resth
(Date)
Despatched
without
DEFERRED
[ Security classification
-if any
CONFIDENTIAL
Telegram to:
Peking
[Codeword-if any].
N.........
426.
Address to
PEKING
(Date)...
1.5
telegram No.
42
406
(date)......
+ MAY
And to:-
HONG KONG
repeated for information to...
NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MARGIN
Repeat to:-
548
Hong/Kong
し
En Clair.
Code
Cypher
Distribution: Departmental F.E.D.
Consular Dept. Hong Kong Dept. News Dept.
Copies to:-
Your quarterly return of British
subjects, PEK/5 of 8 April: Gordon
He
National Union of Journalists as well
Code
28 [family/now interested in case.
2. Please make a further formal request
for information, about-family's-
whereabouts.
May
11302
115/68
(4535) Wr.45573/46 200m 2/64 G.W.B.Ltd. Gp.86).
23.5.
Mr. Samuel
CONFIDENTIAL
Flag D
Call of Chinese Chargé d'Affaires on Mr. Rodgers
24 May at 11 a.m.
Since Mr. Murray's submission of 21 Kay we have learned
of the detention of yet another British subject in China: Captain Roy
Vincent Pope of a British ship, the "Fortune Wind" (Hong Kong telegram
No. 645). The ship's owners, Continental Navigation and Enterprises Ltd.
of Hong Kong, were informed of Captain Pope's detention in Tientsin in
telegrams from the vessel's Chief Officer and from their
Chinese agents, Penavico.
2. We have asked our Mission in Peking to approach the
Chinese authorities on Captain Pope's behalf, but have not
yet received a reply. I have amended the Speaking Notes
accordingly.
John Denson
(J. B. Denson) 23 May, 1968
CONFIDENTIAL
HOUSE
OF
COMMONS
From Martin Maddan MP
30th April 1968
Да веж
し
Re:
RECEIVED N ARCHIVES No.31 - 2 MAY 1968
F41/42
.
Roc. and Ack. 1.5·
FE Department
for draft reply please.
Mr and Mrs Eric Gordon, Peking
Mr S Gordon, of 22 Westbourne Gardens
Hove, has written to me about his son
Eric who is missing in China. I enclose
his letter to me which is self-explanatory.
I am sure you will understand the father's concern, and I should be most
grateful for anything you may be able to find out.
With every good wish,
William Rodgers Esq MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State The Foreign Office
Downing Street LONDON SW 1
교
altacht
Photostati
eater immediatel
Jendomés
MAH IS
Dear Sir
22, Westbourne Gdns.
Hove,
Sussex, BN3.5PP.
30th April, 1968.
on
My daughter in writing this I am only partially sighted.
as I are
ate
all &
may
Oshelf
We We have lived in Hove for ten were all born in Manchester.
glish - British Subject.
about
We are all
son, my son,
years.
WE
worried and distressed
appear
very and his family, to be missing in Edina. they are
who
We suspect that being detained. We have not been able to get any news of
them, either from the Foreign Office, or from the Chinese Embassy. It
has been in the
press, and
News.
the radio and television The Government and the Foreign
Office asked the Chinese Government
son and his family,
about
нау
weeks
ago
адо,
but the
family, a few
they did not receive any
reply from China then, or since then,
+
+
L
·
My son,
wes
A
Eric Gordon, his wife Marie, and their son Kim, aged Eleven years, have
been in Peking for three years. My son
reporter in England, and worked in publishing office in Piking,
-translating. It is wife taught English to pupils who
already knew some English, until the revolution started, and then she
had to stop teaching.
во
My son and his family were due to leave Peking
Sve November, 1967. They intended to travel home by Cargor boat of rom
Hongkong. The last letter we had from them was 28th October, 1967. But
they did not cross the border into toughong,
record of it.
as there is no
My
other sou
and also in
who lives in London, laws, have visited the
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.